Volume One: The Wild Child Chapter Twenty-Five: Charisma

Lin Yuheng’s smile remained unchanged as he toyed with the wine glass in his hand, seating himself leisurely and placing one foot atop Cai Ling’s head. The stationed border wardens glared in outrage, their hair bristling beneath their caps, nearly roaring with fury as they threatened Lin Yuheng, demanding he release their leader.

The smile on the face of this Beidou prodigy grew wider. "If I let go of your chief, will any of you spare my life?" he asked. Hearing his words, the captain of the guards, believing the situation might take a turn for the better, responded quickly, "As long as both clan heads remain unharmed, there is no need to say more." Lin Yuheng nodded, slowly lifted his foot, and just as the guards relaxed, he gathered his strength and stomped down hard upon Cai Ling’s head!

Once, twice—this monster showed no mercy, right before the eyes of the Cai and Kuai clan wardens, he ruthlessly stamped the life out of the leader of the Eight Paths. Seeing their chief perish in an instant, the border wardens could no longer contain the murderous rage within them; each unleashed their full force, pouring all their skills into a desperate charge against Lin Yuheng.

Yet at the peak of this emotional frenzy, Lin Yuheng unleashed his power to the utmost. Blood burst from his seven orifices, strange patterns appeared on his neck, and as their outlines sharpened, they abruptly quelled the murderous intent of every Cai and Kuai warden inside and outside the room!

"Whew, controlling the hearts of wardens is far harder than manipulating the lives of ordinary people. Just making them stand still has already drained all my strength," Lin Changtian frowned deeply, uncertain what meaning his words might carry at that moment.

Receiving no reply, Lin Yuheng pursed his lips, sat back down, and began to swirl his glass of red wine. In the room, only Lin Changtian and the uncle-nephew pair from the Yu clan remained unaffected. Yet both looked pale, cold sweat pouring from their foreheads, weak beyond measure. Although their lesser emotional turmoil spared them from Lin Yuheng’s control, resisting his power still cost them dearly, leaving them unable to fight any longer.

Lin Yuheng gazed at Lin Changtian, calm as an ancient well by the window, glanced at the moonlight spilling across the floor, and smiled. "If memory serves, you’re the little ant who escaped from Central Zhou City back then, aren’t you? Tsk, that’s hardly the look of a killer. But it’s late, I must return home, can’t play any longer. Let me send you all on your way." Lin Changtian said nothing, silently drawing the long blade from his waist.

Lin Yuheng paused, then burst into wild laughter, clutching his stomach as tears danced in his eyes, somewhere between crying and laughing. He hadn’t felt so joyous in ages. Watching Lin Changtian’s indifferent face, he tapped his own head and said, "Are you really foolish enough to think that just because you’re not controlled you can kill me? Who in the heartland doesn’t know I was the first warden to awaken an ability? It was the most shocking discovery since the Age of Evolution began. In other words, besides these unfathomable powers, I am still a warden you could never hope to match in your lifetime! Heaven has granted me such favor, what do you, a mere ant, have to challenge a true dragon?"

While this demon chattered, Lin Changtian rehearsed the killing move taught by Yu Baili in his mind, knowing he had only one chance—once the blade struck, everything would be settled.

Seeing Lin Changtian silent, the Beidou Yuheng’s laughter faded. He grew angry that the ant’s expression was not as fearful as he’d imagined, so he let his energy envelop his body, overflowing beyond all rules. His aura was not golden like Yu Baili’s, nor azure like the scholarly old man, but a crimson hue, like blood in endless shifting sands.

Lin Yuheng leapt into the air, forcing down the backlash of his power’s side effects, closing his eyes to soothe his soul, waiting for the right moment. His breathing gradually synchronized with the world, and when the wind’s flow brushed by, he suddenly opened his eyes, shaped his hand into a talon, and darted toward the "ant’s" throat like a dragon in flight. At that instant, Lin Changtian drew his blade.

Before awakening, Lin Yuheng had been merely a common warden, branded as an outcast. Once he gained his power, he transformed into one of the Seven Stars of Beidou. This miraculous strength had turned Lin Yuheng into the very bully he once despised, and more so. He believed, under Heaven’s name, clad in blood, he would write a legend.

Yet today, that legend would fall silent.

It was nothing more than a standard long blade brought from Central Zhou City; nothing more than a prodigy whom others saw as idle and useless. Lin Changtian’s blade, too, arrived. No flourishes, just a plain, unremarkable swing—one that stirred no ripples, yet sent waves across the sea.

That blade pierced Lin Yuheng’s body.

The rise, the fall—still utterly ordinary.

Lin Yuheng screamed, blood gushing forth. Terror seized his heart, as if he’d returned to those days of being bullied. The Beidou Yuheng now bore no trace of divine power, madly charging toward the window, leaping out, only to be pinned to the ground by the reinforcements rushing in. In his daze, he thought he saw the gentle smile of his departed mother.

Lin Changtian, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted, slumped to the floor and passed out. The awakened wardens stood stunned for a long time, then hurriedly supported Kuai Yue, hurriedly lifted Cai Ling’s corpse, and quickly dispersed. The vast room was left with only the Yu uncle and nephew staring blankly at Lin Changtian.

......

Half a month had passed since the great battle. Cai Ling was buried, and every warden at the stronghold wished to tear Lin Yuheng apart, but Kuai Yue stopped them all, had him injected with medication, and sent him to the Zhou clan in hopes of extracting more value from him.

Before and after the disaster, Lin Changtian had changed the most. The Zhou clan hailed him as a hero, widely publicizing his deeds, creating the image of an unknown knight who acted righteously, and using this to foster the belief that the Zhou clan was a force of justice and that victory would belong to them. Yet their hero remained bedridden, cared for day and night by Yu Li.

.......

That day’s dawn was still uncertain.

Someone leaned by the window, a silhouette hinting at feminine grace in the dim light. She blinked playfully, her features as lovely as a painting, her eyes clear as spring water.

There seemed to be a budding sense of spring.

Meeting someone inexplicable at an inexplicable time, only for the most utopian ending to unfold.

The knight, known for his righteousness, was saved by the unremarkable servant’s hand.

This left the knight a bit embarrassed. Surely he couldn’t offer himself in gratitude—could he?

Wait, why not?

Yu Li’s thoughts wandered wildly, a smile unfitting her stunning beauty appearing on her face.

"You brat, you’ve got some courage. If you want me, figure out a way to chase after me yourself." Yu Li darted to Lin Changtian’s bedside, snatched the freshly peeled apple from his hand, swallowed it whole, then glanced smugly at Lin Changtian, hands on her hips, teasing the grinning youth.

Lin Changtian struggled to sit up, a mysterious smile tugging at his lips. "It’s fine to bully me, but the problem is I feel awful all over—getting out of bed is a struggle, and there’s not even a fruit knife here. How am I supposed to peel an apple?"

"So this is..." Yu Li seemed to realize something, gazing at Lin Changtian in disbelief. The youth nodded, showing his bright white teeth with pride. "I gnawed that out myself, miss. If you don’t mind, please eat it clean—after all, we shouldn’t waste food."

Yu Li couldn’t stop herself from retching and rushed out. Lin Changtian laughed triumphantly, produced the hidden fruit knife, and muttered to himself, "Ha, you want me to chase you? Could I really afford a bride price of several hundred thousand?"

His words broke off halfway, lost in his gut.

Even if a drifting duckweed is re-rooted, the mud it carries cannot reach the lofty clouds above.